Leviathan
Bagan froze the blood-red sea solid with Ice Age, a fusion of magic and spirit arts that rapidly cooled liquids. He stood atop the now-crimson frozen ground, his face etched with exhaustion.
“Huff… huff…”
The ragged sound of his breathing alone proved just how hard he had pushed himself. The mana he had stored in his core was completely spent, and the spirit power connected to Sally was nearly depleted as well.
Are you alright?
Sally had returned to her original form to avoid wasting any more spirit power. At this point, maintaining a physical manifestation through Bagan’s spirit energy was no longer possible.
Bagan took a deep breath and gave a small nod at her question.
“Just a little tired, that’s all.”
Thud!
The moment Bagan’s mana ran dry, every spell he had been maintaining on Selena was canceled at once. The mana barrier and flight magic vanished, and she dropped down onto the frozen sea.
“Is it over?” Selena asked, her voice bright with hope.
She believed that once the dungeon was cleared, she could return to Razetta and finally earn her freedom. After everything she had endured, she planned to rest for at least a year.
“I don’t know. We’ve taken care of all the drowds, but Leviathan won’t die from something like this.”
Flutter!
Arien, who had transformed from her Neo Shark form into a small bird to fly up into the sky, returned to the group’s side.
“Bagan-nim. There is a high-temperature reaction nearby. I determine it is melting the ice.”
Though it was impossible to tell which sensory organ she was using, Arien could detect heat and report it accurately.
Hearing her words, Bagan brushed off his knees and stood up. According to the information they had, that high-heat signature could only belong to Leviathan.
The confidant of the Demon King of Wrath, Ira, and the demon of rage. That was the title Leviathan bore. Since he made his home in magma even within Pandemonium, producing this level of heat was well within his capabilities.
Bubble, bubble!
At that moment, the ice nearby began to melt little by little, creating a section of churning sea once more. Then the water suddenly surged upward.
Splash!
It would be more accurate to call it a pillar of blood. In any case, within the rising column stood a creature of utterly alien appearance.
“So it was you lot… who disgraced my legion.”
Leviathan showed no intention of suppressing his towering fury. And with good reason—his skin burned so intensely it looked almost identical to the pillar of blood itself.
Hsssss!
Moreover, the heat radiating from his body was so extreme it vaporized the liquid on his skin, sending thick white smoke billowing behind him. Even from a distance, the scorching heat was palpable.
He glared at Bagan and the others with eyes that looked ready to charge at any second. Yet even in that situation, Bagan remained calm.
“Leviathan. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to die here.”
Bagan’s words only fueled the demon’s rage even more. And just as Ira had assessed, the still-immature demon took the bait immediately.
“What did you say!!”
Bubble, bubble!
The smoke pouring from him grew even thicker and more violent than before. It was clear he could still grow angrier. The more this demon of rage burned with fury, the greater his physical specs and the heat he emitted. The situation was growing increasingly dangerous.
“Demon of Rage, Leviathan. If you choose to embrace evil, then dying like a dog is only natural.”
But Bagan did not back down. Instead, he used the conversation to breathe in mana. Even a single handful more could create the opportunity he needed to win.
Next time, I really need to learn a breathing technique from a famous magic family.
Absorbing the mana of Pangea wasn’t particularly difficult. As written in Randel Gius’s grimoire, even the basics allowed Bagan’s core to automatically convert and utilize it. However, when the location changed during high-level magic battles, it became problematic.
Like now—when I have to use Pandemonium’s mana, it feels suffocating.
If even breathing itself was difficult, absorbing mana through respiration was even harder. Bagan finished purifying the mana he had drawn in and storing it in his core, making a firm mental note to learn a proper mana breathing technique next time.
“Selena, it would be best if you stayed back. Your song could help in a pinch, but fighting him while trying to keep you safe would be too much.”
“Understood.”
Selena knew Bagan’s judgment was correct. In the current situation, she could offer no real help. Her throat wasn’t even fully recovered from singing the Song of the Full Moon earlier. As she had said before, a Siren’s song consumed both mental and spiritual energy.
She wanted to help Bagan defeat Leviathan and contribute to clearing the dungeon, but her body wouldn’t allow it. Right now, she would only be a hindrance.
Once Selena had retreated, Bagan turned to Arien as well.
“Arien, you stay back and protect Selena. Like I said, I can’t fight while trying to guard both of you.”
“Understood.”
Bagan smiled and gently stroked her silver hair a few times before turning his gaze to Leviathan, whose body had turned a furious, boiling red.
To fight the demon, Bagan drew out the mana he had carefully gathered and shaped it into a single sword. A mana sword formed in his hand. But he didn’t stop there—he poured the condensed power of the dragon from his core into it.
What appeared was the greatsword he had shown during his duel with Vidion. It became the Draconic Sword.
In a decisive battle against Leviathan, he would have to pour everything he had into winning. Every last drop of mana, the dragon’s power, the power of condemnation, his homunculus body, and even his traits. He still had this many cards left to play.
That was why—
“There’s no way I can lose.”
Indeed.
Seeing Bagan’s burning resolve, Sally nodded in agreement. The two of them moved forward to confront Leviathan.
For a moment, Leviathan was overwhelmed by the unknown energy radiating from Bagan. He had been acknowledged as Ira’s subordinate and inherited the power of rage from her. As a servant of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, he was meant to inspire fear in others, not feel it himself.
But why…?
Leviathan felt an unknown emotion as he sensed the endless power flowing from Bagan. Having never experienced fear before, he could only guess that this strange feeling might be it.
How could a servant of the Seven Deadly Sins, bearer of the title of Rage, feel fear toward a mere living being? The thought only made Leviathan angrier. Shame and fury surged within him.
Whether it was a pillar of blood or tears of blood, red liquid streamed down Leviathan’s face as he stood on the ice. The sight was both grotesque and strangely pitiful.
He could no longer remain still. He wanted to tear Bagan apart right then and there and throw the pieces to the demonic beasts of Pandemonium as food.
Boom!
His thoughts cut off as he kicked off the ground and leaped forward. It was nothing more than a simple jump, yet it sent powerful shockwaves rippling outward. This was due to his body being enhanced by the power of rage.
A demon’s body was already incredibly strong, but in terms of raw physical toughness and power, Leviathan was close to the level of the Seven Deadly Sins themselves. That was why he was acknowledged despite his immaturity.
Who could possibly call skin that spent its entire life submerged in magma weak? That same skin covered Leviathan’s entire body as he charged at Bagan, swinging his razor-sharp claws.
Switching fluidly between bipedal and quadrupedal movement, his shoulders—honed by a lifetime of swimming—drew back with terrifying flexibility before slashing forward at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
True to his title of Rage, he didn’t stop after a single strike. He unleashed a relentless barrage, pressing Bagan hard.
Fortunately, Bagan had a decent sense for attacks delivered at high speed. No matter how fast Leviathan was, could he really be faster and stronger than Vidion? Having already dueled the Divine Spear, who attacked with extreme speed, Bagan could roughly keep up with Leviathan’s assault.
Kwagang! Kagagak!
Leviathan showed no signs of tiring as he continued his barrage. His claws were so sharp and hard that they didn’t even scratch the sword reinforced by dragon power. Thanks to that, Bagan was forced to wait for a chance to counterattack, but it wasn’t easy.
While continuously retreating and parrying, Bagan thought to himself, If only I could stop him for even a single moment…
What means did he have to make that happen?
Just make him lose his composure. How about dodging his attacks and aiming for his blind spots?
Dodging. With the demon’s incredible speed and sweeping claw strikes, simply relying on his homunculus body wouldn’t be enough. It was time to use his traits.
If it’s my traits…
As Bagan recalled the abilities he possessed, a brilliant idea came to mind. A way to keep blocking and dodging the attacks while preparing a lethal counter.
Absorb the impact little by little.
Up to the maximum limit he could handle.
Whether it was Leviathan’s ability or simply the result of his rage, the attacks showed no sign of stopping. Bagan hadn’t been able to find an opening—until now. If blocking the attacks could become the key to victory, then not doing so would be a waste.
Boom! Boom! Kwagwang!
The Draconic Sword and Leviathan’s claws clashed repeatedly, producing explosive sounds. Bagan gradually absorbed the impacts. Absorption and Release didn’t necessarily require using his hands. This was exactly why he had taken the time to research and develop his traits.
Feeling pure physical force slowly filling up inside him, he waited for the right moment. Leviathan attacked relentlessly, as if there were no retreat left behind him. But there was no way Bagan would be pierced.
The dragon’s power is the same.
As long as the core remained in his heart and didn’t leave his body, the dragon’s power was nearly infinite. It wasn’t something that was consumed by use. It simply existed. Its very existence granted him strength.
Palamus had sealed that principle within the Leviant Core. No matter how inexhaustible Leviathan’s stamina might be, there was no way he could break through a sword reinforced by the dragon’s power.
The real question was how long Bagan’s own stamina would hold out. The outcome of this battle would be decided by whether Bagan’s endurance ran out first, or whether he could seize the chance to counter and finish the demon.
“Kuaaaaaaaaah!”
Leviathan poured everything he had into his attacks, swinging furiously.
He’s getting even stronger?
Bagan had overlooked one thing. The defining characteristic of a wrath demon was that the angrier they became, the stronger they grew. And Leviathan was now furious that his attacks were having no effect.
“Ugh!”
Blocking attacks empowered by such rage was no easy task. At one point, Bagan even had to let some of the strikes slide off instead of absorbing them head-on.
Are you alright?
Sally must have sensed that Bagan was struggling, because she used what little spirit power she had left to help him. Bagan felt a powerful surge of strength enter his body. Thanks to Sally’s ability, his power increased when fighting those burdened with sin.
This made defending much easier. And finally—
“Now you’re finished.”
Bagan activated Thought Acceleration to release all the accumulated impact at once. He didn’t plan to maintain it for long. He only used it to time the moment when Leviathan pulled his shoulder back to attack.
The perfect timing arrived immediately.
Now.
Bagan released every bit of accumulated shock through his sword. The demon, who had stretched out his arm to strike, was instantly engulfed by the massive shockwave erupting from the Draconic Sword.
Kwagwang!
However—
“Damn it.”
Although Leviathan lost his balance and was sent flying into the distance, the problem was that Bagan also had to endure the shockwave released by his own sword.